On 8 April, we held our annual cherry blossom viewing party!
We had a lovely time with the new members who joined us this year.
Over the coming year, I’m sure each of us will face both enjoyable and amusing moments, as well as difficulties and challenges, but I hope we can share these experiences, overcome them together, and make this a year we can look back on with no regrets.
It was a day that marked the start of such a wonderful life in the lab!
On 23 March 2026, the Hiroshima University Architecture Group held its degree conferment ceremony and graduation and completion celebration party to congratulate the graduates and those completing their programmes.
From our laboratory, six undergraduate students and twelve postgraduate students (ten Master’s students and two PhD students) successfully reached this milestone and will be moving on to new environments from April. Congratulations to you all.
The after-party was held at an izakaya near Hiroshima Station. This marked the final lab social gathering of the academic year. The first-year M.Sc. students organised the event to provide an opportunity for them to spend quality time interacting with the senior and junior students who had looked after them. We were also treated to a few words from our graduates. It certainly brings back a flood of memories.
After the after-party, we took the final group photo of the year.
It was a wonderful team. Let’s meet again soon. Until then, we’re breaking up temporarily.
On January 29th, the final session of the “Yanominami Project” was held! For this third and final session, the children completed the pieces they had been working on throughout the earlier classes! Specifically, they hammered in the components while adjusting the overall balance, decorated the plywood base, and attached the letters. The base used a material resembling grass, and the children were thrilled to work with this unusual material. It was impressive to see them decorating with such enjoyment.
For the lettering, they carved the project name “Time and Space’s Annual Rings,” which the children themselves came up with, onto the table leg components. They also attached the letters “YANOMINAMI”! The design turned out incredibly cute, featuring a brilliant idea from an elementary school student: turning the ‘O’ in “YANOMINAMI” into a clock!
The completed work will be installed in the school’s entranceway. We hope it will be cherished not only by the children involved in its creation but also by future students who will enroll here!
In the latter part of the class, we held a roundtable discussion-style lecture featuring professionals from various fields: university professors, furniture craftsmen, carpenters, designers, architects, filmmakers, and university students.
Through this project, we students also gained much inspiration from the children’s sensibilities and the skills of the professional artisans. This project is a continuous effort spanning three years. While this year’s activities have concluded for now, we look forward to continuing our collaboration with everyone at Yano Minami Elementary School next year and beyond, aiming to build on this success for even better activities.
The second session of the “Yanomi Project,” conducted with Yano Minami Elementary School and Sakura Saku, took place on January 16th. During the first session, we dismantled surplus desks and chairs together with the elementary school students. In the second session, we progressed with creating artwork by securing the dismantled furniture parts to pre-made bases using nails and screws.
This time, approximately 40 elementary students were divided into six groups. Similar to the previous session, they worked in groups focused on dismantling furniture, attaching parts to the base, and designing the letters for the artwork. After some dismantling and securing of parts was completed, it was wonderful to see the students happily enjoying the workshop, each choosing their favorite task!
What started as a simple circular base transformed as the students attached numerous pieces. By the end of the session, it had become an impressive and beautiful piece. It was memorable seeing the students happily using tools they rarely get to handle, like impact drivers and pneumatic nailers, under professional guidance!
Finally, the design team proposed names for the piece, and after a vote by the elementary students, it was named “The Rings of Time and Space”! Production will now continue with the university students and Sakura Saku, with completion planned for the third and final session! We can’t wait to see the finished piece!
We enjoyed delicious meat and vegetables while spending a lively and fun time together. This time, we also got to use the pizza oven and tried our hand at various dishes like roasted sweet potatoes!
Additionally, the filmmaker who has been supporting the Yano Minami Elementary School project joined us. We had the opportunity to hear fascinating stories not only about furniture but also about the world of filmmaking.
Gathering around the bonfire, we had many conversations. This not only deepened our connections with the people involved in the Yano Minami Elementary School project but also allowed us to thoroughly discuss how to proceed with future projects. It was an extremely fruitful day.
The HUAG (Hiroshima University Architecture Group) course “Architectural Seminar II” offers third-year students an opportunity to experience research-lab activities. In our laboratory, under the theme “Techniques for Planning the Regeneration of Architectural Spaces,” students worked on a project to reinterpret the shopping center inside the Motomachi Apartment Complex in central Hiroshima as a spatial resource and to propose feasible plans for its renewal.
The seminar students assigned to the laboratory visited the Motomachi high-rise apartment complex on Saturday, October 18. They then revisited the apartment complex on Saturday, November 29, where they presented their final revitalization plan proposals, developed in groups, at the rooftop community center. Ideas included “Art Space Formation,” “Motomachi Expo,” and “Community Kitchen + Children’s Cafeteria + Community Café.” The groups demonstrated a clear understanding of the complex’s issues, and some even used generative AI for logo design—showing creativity beyond faculty expectations.
Ms. Itai, who embodies multiple roles including artist, graduate student, resident, and community leader, offered warm and realistic comments on each presentation. Her multifaceted perspective was invaluable.
Afterward, all participants held a small gathering at the okonomiyaki restaurant Soei inside the shopping center. Over food, we reflected on the workshop and discussed future possibilities. The lively conversations and delicious okonomiyaki helped deepen our connections. I myself enjoyed a pork–egg–soba okonomiyaki topped with natto and green onions—so excellent.
